William c



(No Model.)

0. KIDNEY.

STRONG BOX OR COPPER. No. 384,855. Patented June 19,1888.

INVEN-TOR:

WITNESSES: I

. By #044 Attorney.

N. PFIERS. Phuloulhographlr. Wuhington. [LC

UNITED STATES \VILLI AM 0. KIDNEY,

PATENT OFFICE.

or NEW YORK, N. Y.

STRONG BOX 0R COFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384.855, dated June 19, 1888.

Application filed August 29, 1887. Serial No. $8.170. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. KIDNEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Strong Boxes or Ooffers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class oflight or portable strong boxes or coffers which are convenient, stanch, and simple fastening de-- vice for the box or coft'er, whereby it may be readily secured to and detached from the nonportable base.

My invention will be fully described here inafter, and its novel features carefully defined in the claims.

In the drawings, which serve to illustrate my invention- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of a stro'ngbox provided with my improvements, the section being taken in the broken plane, indicated by line 1 1 in Fig. 2. Fig 2 is a plan of said box with the lid or cover re moved, so as to expose the interior. Fig. 3 is a plan of the metal plate and the members of the fastening that are mounted on the base. This plate forms a convenient medium for at taching said members to the base. Fig. 4 is an end view of the box seen in Fig. 1.

A is a rectangular box of some suitable material, preferably sheet-steel, and B is the cover of the same, preferably of malleable iron, which is hinged to the box at a. The box is provided with a lock, 0, of an approved kind. The box may be of any form, size, or proportion best suited to the purposes for which it is designed.

D is the base or support to which the boxis to be detachably secured. In Figs. 1 and 4 I have represented this base as forming a part of the bottom of a drawer of a desk, dressingcase, or other article of furniture. This base is furnished with one member or one of the two'parts of the fastening device-that is to say, the fastening device comprises, essentially,

two members or parts, one of which is secured in apermanent or rigid manner to the base D,

plate are punched, so as to stand above the surface of same, four keepers, 00, attached in-' tegrallyrto the plate at their bases. These form each one of the members of the fastening devices.

In the bot-tom of box A are four apertures, d d, so shaped that when the box is set down upon plate E the keepersc a will project up into the box through said apertures.

Pivotally or rotatively mounted on the bot.- tom of the box at e is a plate, F, also of sheetstcel by preference, which has four branches,

c 0, so spaced, arranged, and proportioned as to length that they may be made to take under the keepers c a, respectively, by turn ing the plate F on its pivot e. 2 the branches 0' 0, each of which forms one In Figs. 1 and of the members of the fastening devices,are

shown as taking under and engaging the keepers. WVhen the members stand in this position, .the box cannot be lifted from its base or support; but when plate F is turned to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 the fastenings will be disengaged and the box may be readily removed from its base. As a means of conveniently turning plate F, I prefer to provide it with some suitable form of projections or thumb-pieces, g g, and these may be stamped up from the plate F.

In the construction -just described the box A, when attached to its base, actually rests on plate E, and only indirectly on the base; but this plate E is only a matter of convenience for securing the keepers c the more firmly to the base. Each of these members of the fastenings might be secured independently to the base.

It will be seen that the fastening can be manipulated only when access can be had to the interior of the box. If the box is to be shifted around from place to place at intervals, two or more sets of the fixed members of the fasteners may be provided with each box-'- as several plates, E, with keepers c c, for example. One of these may be secured in a traveling-trunk, another in a drawer at home, and another in a desk in the office or countingroom. In case a tray is needed in the box the latter may be provided with brackets in h (see Fig. 1) to support it and keep it from resting on the fastening device.

In Figs. 1 and3 the plateE is shown as conforming in size and shape to the bottom of the box; but this is not essential. The bottom of the box may be recessed in a well-known way, and the plate E be made of the proper shape and size to fit into this recess when the box is in place.

The drawings show the cover of the box hinged; but it may as well be constructed to be lifted off when unlocked, and it may as well, also, be in the side or end of the box as in the top thereof. If the base or part to which the box is to be secured stands uprightas the side of a car or vehicle, for example-- the fastening device may be at theside instead of at the bottom.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein shown and described, as

this construction may be varied to some extent without departing materially from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, with a strong box or colfer provided with a cover or door and a lock therefor, with apertures, as d, and a pivoted plate, as F, having branches, as c, of keepers, as a, mounted 011 a base and arranged to project through the apertures (Z into said box, said branches 0' being adapted to engage with said keepers, as set forth.

2. The combination, with a strong box or coffer provided with a cover or door and lock, with apertures, as d, and a pivoted plate, as F, having branches, as c, of a plate, as E, provided with keepers, as c, to project through said apertures d into said box, said branches 0 being adapted to engage with said keepers, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VM. 0. KIDNEY.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, J. l). CAPLINGER. 

